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Fitness & Health

31st Jul 2015

People who go to the gym might be getting sick because of their gym bag

Disturbing news

Carl Kinsella

Go to the gym, they said…

It’s good for your health, they said. Well, it appears that regular gym-goers might be suffering some serious ill-effects in their pursuit of better health.

Recent research, conducted by Initial Washroom Hygiene, has revealed that 60% of gym bags are teeming with dangerous bacteria contamination that can lead to bloody diarrhoea, stomach cramps, vomiting, pneumonia and fever.

colin farrell

Leather bags were worse than bags made from canvas or nylon, and women’s gym bags were slightly more likely to be swarming with the dangerous coliform bacteria.

Some bags studied by the researchers were riddled with seven times the acceptable amount of coliform. In case you’re wondering, coliforms are bacteria that are always present in the digestive tract and the waste products of animals, including humans.

Poop. We’re talking about your poop.

Charming.

Dr Peter Barratt, technical manager at Initial Washroom Hygiene, emphasised the importance of gyms providing sufficient hand washing facilities, as well as hand sanitiser. Barratt added that “it’s also down to individuals to take responsibility for their hand hygiene.”

80% of infections are passed on by our hands, so it’s important to keep your hands clean if you’re coming into frequent contact with a gym bag.

Hat-tip to The Express.

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